Sunday, November 4, 2012

Make Pot Pie For Friends

Chicken pot pie is just chicken stew in a pie and there's no reason to be fancier than that. Tonight I'm making some Thor Rooster Pie and it'll be done with two very humble kitchen appliances: a crock pot and a bowl. The stew will be made in the crock pot and the butter crust in a bowl. The recipe is simple: place whole, thawed, chicken in 7-quart crock pot and cover with two cups of organic chicken stock and a bottle of beer. I usually pour some olive oil on the bird and shake some poultry seasoning on it at this point sa well. Place on low and let cook for a few hours until meat is falling off the bone, turning the bird every two hours or so, so that the meat doesn't get dry on one side and soaked on the other. When the meat is falling off the bone, take out the bird on a big plate and take as much meat as possible off and cut into chunks no bigger than a quarter. Return the boneless meat to the beer/broth and add chopped potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, diced kale, and any other veggies you want to eat with your pie. Let cook for a while until potatoes and carrots are done, soft enough to cut with a fork in half. Then, to finish the stew, you will slowly add a bit of cream (maybe a half cup) and flour. You'll be mixing the flour in in a little at time to avoid clumps and you'll do his until your broth turns into a creamy stew. It has to be pie filling so go for thicker. At this point add your seasoning to taste. I add chopped garlic, salt, pepper, and some paprika and onion powder.

It can sit in your crockpot on warm, being stirred every so often to keep it fluid. Then you can make your crust. I take two sticks of room-temp butter and add flour (maybe 2-3 cups?) and a few tablespoons of VERY cold water, added very conservatively and work it with my clean hands until I have a good dough. That's all a butter crust is, butter and water and flour. Roll it out and line your pie plate. Fill it with stew and give it a nice thick crust. Make sure you use a fork to seal the edges all around, making sure it sticks together tight. Make some slices in the top for ventilation or shove a pie bird in there. If you like, brush some melted butter on the top and sprinkle it with a little sugar. The sweet and savory combination will make your dinner guests plotz.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Serve by the slice, sides great with mashed taters and something green. Don't fuss with cookbooks, just play jazz. Taste along the way, don't be scared of salt and butter, and make sure everyone's wine glass stay's full and you're golden.

10 Comments:

I absolutely love Chicken Pot Pie but hardly ever make it. Now that you have my mouth watering, I might have to give it a go this week. Don't think I would serve it with mashed potatoes since it already has potatoes in it and for me, a pot pie is a meal all by itself. I would add the green salad though. Thanks for the "recipe".

I would add that although it's best to use what you have, for those folks raising their own birds, this is an excellent use for expendable roosters or retired laying hens. The flavor will be second to none. Save your broilers for other cooking methods, if you have the luxury of choice.

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About Me

Enjoy the story of a young writer living in Washington County with her fancy dogs, sheep, lots of chickens, fiber & meat rabbits, geese, ducks, turkeys, a hive and a garden. Expect to hear a lot about mountain music, the civil war, local food, and my friends along the way. It's a big time folks.